Merced County Superior Court gave a man convicted in 2012 of stalking a court commissioner a new trial date in a 2013 protective order case.

Jury selection begins April 15 for defendant Keith Gallagher, who is set to appear before Judge Mark V. Bacciarini, according to court records.

Gallagher, 56, appeared in court briefly March 11, but his attorney asked for more time for additional investigation before going to trial, Deputy District Attorney Mathew Serratto confirmed.

Gallagher was arrested Dec. 16 on a warrant charging him with six misdemeanor counts of violating a protective order prohibiting him from contacting his estranged wife and their children, according to court records.

Investigators believe Gallagher violated the order by making telephone calls and sending packages to the woman’s home multiple times between July and December of 2013, prosecutors have said.

A Merced County jury convicted Gallagher in July 2012 on two felony counts of stalking and three misdemeanor vandalism charges for stalking then-Commissioner Gerald Corman and Corman’s wife, Christine McFadden.

Gallagher was sentenced to 455 days in jail and five years’ probation, according to court records.